Intriguing Beings Podcast

In this conversation, Rou Chater and Brandon Scheid explore the transformative journey of recovery following a life-altering accident. Brandon shares his experiences with hydrofoiling, speed flying, and the addictive nature of the flow state in action sports. They discuss the emotional and physical challenges of brain injury recovery, the importance of support systems, and the journey back to pass...

In this episode of the Intriguing Beings podcast, host Rou Chater speaks with Craig Sawyer, a filmmaker and endurance athlete, about his journey from kitesurfing to stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) and his experiences with the challenging Yukon 1000 race. Craig shares insights into the mental and physical demands of endurance racing, the impact of COVID on his plans, and the camaraderie among competi...

Dive into the world of big wave surfing, mental health, and the unexpected benefits of psychedelics for depression with Dom Moore. From tackling the ocean's mightiest waves to exploring the depths of the human mind, this episode certainly covers a lot of bases! Join us for a conversation that spans early humans hunting woolly mammoths to elephants kicking honey badgers. It's all here, as w...

In this episode, I catch up with Ralf Grösel, the visionary behind Brainchild Production facility. Last time we spoke, he was launching his project in North Macedonia; now he's building kites for Harlem, F-ONE, Reeding and Juniqua. We explore how his cutting-edge technologies, from stitch-free ProWeld seams to ultra-light materials, are reshaping the kitesurfing industry. We talk innovation, s...

Leo Koenig, the founder of WOO Sports, shares his journey of getting into the water sports world and developing the WOO device. The small blue box that attaches to a kiteboard and measures the height of jumps. Leo discusses the challenges of manufacturing and finding reliable suppliers and the importance of trust and good relationships in business. He also talks about the decision to narrow the co...

I sit down with Philip Schinnagel from CORE, one of the world's largest watersports brands based out of Fehmarn in Germany.

I sit down in a rare opportunity to have both Raphael Salles and his son Julien in the room together. Raphael started F-ONE at the end of the 90's and it's grown to become one of the biggest watersports businesses in the world. Julien was never that keen to work at the family business but when the opportunity arose to head up Manera, their wetsuit and accessory brand he changed his tune an...

Back in January, I sat down with Kent Marinkovic, a long-time waterman and businessman who is currently the CEO of Cabrinha. One of the world's largest watersports companies, we talk about the old days, the new days and everything in between! Enjoy!

I sit down with Till Eberle to talk all things Duotone, the rebrand of Fanatic and how the industry has been during these difficult times... It's an episode that is well worth a listen!

I've wanted to get Hannah on the podcast for a while now, so this was a great opportunity to catch up. I've known Hannah since the start of her kiteboarding career, and to see her progress from a young talent to a global superstar of the sport has been impressive. Now she has cultivated a career through social media that most can only dream of. She still rips on the water and is as passion...

Multiple world champion Titouan Galea sits down with me to chat about where he came from and how he embraced the sport of wing foiling so quickly. His kite-foil skills were an easy transfer, and his career has been nothing short of exceptional so far. Recently he moved to Cabrinha, and he loves the new gear and the new team!

Ex US Special Forces and brewery founder Scott Harrison sits down with me to talk about some of his adventures in various warzones over the years, his love of brewing beer and how kiteboarding brought all that together to put us in the same room in Mexico. The world moves in mysterious ways, and this episode is well worth a listen. 

Ralf Grösel is one of the highest functioning humans I know, a kite designer, paragliding designer, racing car driver and successful businessman his accolades are many. He recently got in touch to invite me to North Macedonia to have a look at Brainchild Production, a new project which has set up a sustainable production facility in the country. At a time when shipping costs are through the roof,...

As promised a new episode with an old favourite, Dom Moore. Last time we spoke he was embarking on treatment for the big C. This time he's in the clear, sober, surfing and learning science. We have an entertaining conversation about what he's been up to, his 9 odd months sober and how he hasn't bought any meat or fish in the last 5 or so years, instead spearfishing and hunting for h...

I'm Back! An interesting episode for you this time around as I chat to Alan Jones from Talk Funding. Alan approached me wanting to do a podcast about my new project, FacePlant Sunglasses, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to pick up the baton again and kick off Intriguing Beings once again. We chat about the Kickstarter campaign that we launched for FacePlant, the reason why we wanted to...

Listen in as I chat to Jon Modica, the man behind the recent buyout of Cabrinha from the Pryde Group. If you've not heard of Jon he used to be a pro rider for Cabrinha back in the day, and now he's bought it alongside some other investors. That's a pretty incredible story, whichever way you look at it.  In addition to this Adventure Sports have just got the license for all the Dakin...

Something a little different for you all this week, I had the fortune to catch up with Robby Naish over in Maui on the phone last week. We talked for about 45 minutes about how Covid 19 has effected business, about the last 25 years of making production gear and about how much he enjoys sharing the stoke to get on the water with others.  It was never intended to be a podcast, but it felt too good...

This episode I sit down with Clinton Filen, designer, innovator and radical ideas man. He's been heading up the Airush brand from Cape Town for the last 8 years and has a long history in product design. From an early age, he was making boards and he's never stopped. We catch up at the AWSI in Hood River and talk about a myriad of topics but always seemingly coming full circle to his pass...

I have an amazing guest in this episode, Ozone kite designer Rob Whittall, I've known Rob for some time and bumped into him across the various continents of the globe over the years. He's always struck me as an intensely thoughtful man who's got his priorities right. Fiercely competitive, mainly with himself to push everything to the absolute limit he's been at the top of prett...

This time I sit down with one of my youngest guests, Noè Font, a Spanish kiteboarder and 2x Junior World Champion. He's gone on to surround himself with peers and ride on the Kite Park League Tour at a level that beguiles his youth. When you meet him it's easy to think he's in his 30's, he's achieved so much in such a short space of time and holds himself with a maturity t...

This week I'm sitting down with waterman, businessman and legend Raphael Salles. Raph heads up F-One, the watersports brand that makes gear for kitesurfers, surfers, paddle boarders and foilers.  Raph has a passion for the ocean that I haven't seen in many people, he can literally spend 8 hours a day testing the gear he makes. I can't think of anyone else who does that in the indust...

This week I'm chatting to Craig Cunningham the Team Manager at Duotone Kiteboarding. Recorded back in February this year in Cape Town we talk about a wide range of topics including how he nearly became an ice hockey jock! The Canadian rider is one of the most stylish around and has had a stellar career within the sport. He's adapted and moved with the times and now spends a large part of...

Julien Salles heads up Manera in Montpelier, France, the accessories brand is part of the F-One group owned by his father, Raphael. I've been lucky enough to call Julien a friend for some time and watched him develop Manera with a real passion for the products and how they can benefit the people who use them. He's got a great philosophy, not just for business but for life as well and he&...

This week I've got legendary rider Steven Akkersdijk on the podcast, the tall dutchman has been making a huge impression on the Big Air scene for some time now. With King Of The Air podiums under his belt, he's always a threat on the competition scene. Unlike a lot of riders, though, Steven is multifaceted, he has a huge talent for creating content, both videos and images, and he rips on...

This week I'm chatting to Sensi Graves, founder of Sensi Bikinis, kite park pioneer and all-round female kite hero. I met up with Sensi in Hood River earlier this year to record this podcast and it was really interesting to hear about her approach and induction into the business world. We also talk about her life as a small-town gal, going to a class with just 7 students and how living with t...